Chapter One

Welcome to Forks

Lilah nearly groaned as she attempted to hold her phone with her shoulder and hoist her large suitcase of the belt at the same time. "I doubt your prayers and good vibes have anything to do with the plane landing safely, mom." She sighed as Renee prattled on about crystals. "Look, Vince will be there to get Major in a few days, and he's going to drive him up here. Just deal with him for now." Vince was Lilah's long-term boyfriend. They had met at the academy and happened to be partnered together later on. Major – her German Shepard had worked alongside them. Delilah couldn't just move without her dog. She and Vince were going to try and make things work long distance, and maybe in a few months he would transfer to Forks as well. "Alright, mom. I love you. Bye." Hanging up, Lilah took a deep, steadying breath before heading to the waiting taxis.

The drive to Forks was familiar in a déjà vu sort of way. She remembered the lush greens and dampened landscapes from her childhood, but it had been over a decade since Delilah had seen them in person. Unlike Bella, Lilah didn't come to visit every summer. It wasn't personal, she was just older, and therefore, busier. She managed to graduate high school a year earlier than intended, and graduated the academy at nineteen. Not many twenty year olds could honestly say they were an accomplished police officer. Charlie had been a big inspiration in Delilah's career choice. Renee had always said how much like her father Lilah was, so the decision practically made itself. The last time she had seen her dad was when he flew to Arizona to see her graduate the academy. He even teared up a little. While Bella tended to favor Renee, Lilah had always been somewhat of a daddy's girl.

Her eyes turned to the old brick building that hadn't changed much from her childhood as the cab came to a stop. The worn Forks Police sign had been replaced, and some of the trees were taller, but other than that, it was like taking a step back in time. Hardly anything ever changed in Forks. It was like a town where time stood still and excitement went to die. "Thanks." Lilah smiled to the driver as he helped her with her suitcase. Charlie had promised her a cruiser, but only because he didn't know she had had her motorcycle sent down a few days prior. Charlie wasn't exactly a fan on them, but when he didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

Leaving her suitcase with the officer at the front desk, Lilah slowly made her way back to the chief's office. She smiled as she stood in the doorway, watching Charlie's face twist in concentration. She wasn't sure if it was what was on the computer screen, or the computer itself that made him look so frustrated. Like the town, Charlie had hardly changed with time. His hair was a little greyer around the edges, his eyes not as hard and serious as they once were. He had frown lines and crow's feet, though Lilah knew those were from laughing.

"Hey dad." She smiled lightly as her father's eyes – so much like her own – turned to her.

"Delilah." Charlie's smile was tired but genuine. "You weren't supposed to get in for a few more days. Did you take a cab all the way from Seattle? That must have cost a fortune." He stood and rounded his desk, quickly pulling Lilah into a hug. It was funny – she remembered him being so much bigger. Larger than life even. Now he just seemed… human.

"Mom was driving me crazy so I thought it would be good to come get settled in before I start on Monday. The cab was actually pretty cheap. I called in advance and got a good rate." She smiled easily as she pulled away from the hug. There was no trace of Renee in Lilah. She was most definitely Charlie's daughter – a little carbon copy…. Minus the mustache.

"A few of the guys from the rez are still working on your place. You should be able to stay there. It's most exterior stuff."

"That's not a problem. I should buy them lunch or something." Lilah had been close to the guys on the rez growing up. Sam Uley and Paul Lahote had been her best friends up until she moved away. She wondered if they were still gangly and awkward. They had just been hitting puberty when she left. She had certainly grown into her body over the years, police training keeping her lean and muscular. While Lilah wouldn't say she was blessed in breast department, she couldn't complain – and Vince certainly didn't either. Despite her job, she kept her hair long and wavy – as per Renee's request. She had gotten so used to it at this point, cutting it would be like cutting off a limb. "Why don't you stop by after work."

"Sure thing, Lilah." Charlie smiled lightly. After the paperwork was signed, Lilah received the keys to what would be her cruiser. It might have been nepotism, but she doubted anyone had enough of a problem with Charlie to say anything about it.

With one more goodbye, Lilah loaded up her new cruiser and punched the address into her GPS. The house was only a block away from Charlie's, but it had been so long since Lilah had been there, she was sure she would get lost. She recognized the house right away, though not because of the countless pictures she had been looking through online. What really made the house stick out was the half dozen shirtless native boys repairing the outside. When Lilah had first heard how much work the house would need, she was skeptical, but Charlie personally inspected it and promised he could get 'the guys' to take care of it for pretty cheap. A few of them turned to look at the car as she parked in the driveway, but then got right back to work. At least they were efficient.

Delilah watched the boys – though the term seemed insulting. A few of them were most certainly men. She didn't recognize anyone right away, but that could be because she had been nine when she last saw them. "Shit." Lilah jumped with a curse as her phone blared from the cup holder. She answered without looking at the name, if only to make the noise stop. "Officer Swan."

"You're off duty, babe." Vince's amused voice rang through the line. "You can drop the officer."

"Hey, Vince." Lilah breathed a light laugh, glad to hear his voice. "Miss me yet?"

"Of course I do. I can't say Major feels the same though. I fed him my leftover pizza."

"You know that'll just make him fat and lazy." Lilah rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"That's the best way for a dog to be. He's old, Del. He deserves some couch potato time."

"Just go easy on him, okay. I want him back in fighting shape when you bring him up." Lilah smiled. "I just got to the house, so I'll call you later, okay?" She asked, her voice trailing off. They weren't quite at the 'I love you' stage yet, but it was getting there. This move would be a real test for their relationship.

"Sure thing. Talk to you soon."

Pocketing the phone, Lilah grabbed her keys and threw her door open. She stepped out only to nearly fall back into her seat when she bumped into a very broad, very bare chest. "Watch it there, Slugger."

Lilah's lips instantly pulled into a smile. There was only one guy that had ever called her Slugger. Paul Lahote. He was most certainly still very tall, but not at all gangly. His muscles seemed to ripple under his skin as he shifted a large bag of potting soil up higher on his shoulder. The cut offs he wore – the only thing he wore - hung dangerously low on his hips, framing prominent hipbones and tight abs. A bead of sweat running between his pecs caught Delilah's eyes, and she followed its trail up the long column of his neck, to the strong, stern set of his jaw. His full lips were cocked in smirk that seemed very at home on his handsome face. His hair was no longer long and braided, but cropped like the shorts he wore and just as fitting. What made Lilah's breath catch, however, was the deep warmth of those chocolate brown eyes that seemed to widen the slightest bit when she caught them. "Paul…" She breathed his name like a caress, her pouty lips pulling into a small smile as a strange sensation gathered in the pit of her stomach and at the base of her spine.